September 18, 2006

Well, the big difference in ACL Fest from 2005 to 2006 was that the parks people made a huge effort to water the grass all summer so that the festival wouldn't be a dust bowl again. Last year was like being in a western, what with all the folks wearing bandanas to keep the dust out of their lungs. Without Hurricane Rita to spoil things, the overall weather was a lot better in 06. Hot, yes, but bearable.

I remember so distinctly last year's Arcade Fire show on Sunday afternoon. It was 108 degrees out, and I had to sit on the ground and let the surrounding people shade me, since standing up made me nauseated and woozy. This year, I had a thermometer I bought for my Costa Rica trip, which displayed the much more tolerable temperature of 93 degrees at the same time Sunday afternoon. Not exactly cool, but still, a whole 15 degrees cooler!

In addition to my thermometer/LED light/compass/mirror gadget, I also carried an umbrella with me all day Sunday. Watching the beginning of Tom Petty, I remarked to my friend Shannon, who also had an umbrella, "Good thing we carried these umbrellas around with us all day. That must be why it didn't rain." Famous last words! At that moment, the skies grew dark and ominous, clouds moved in rapidly, and in 10 minutes, it was pouring with rain. The band left the stage, and people made shift to pack up their stuff, including their handy placemarker totems, put up their umbrellas and stay dry. Friends Sally and Karen had left in search of the bathroom, and had a hell of a time finding us again in the rain and the dark without any of the reference points that are so crucial. It rained so hard that even the holdouts with ponchos decided to get under the umbrellas. The big question, though, was, "Will the Heartbreakers come back and play, or are we gonna stand here like jerks and wait for nothing?" There was an agonizing 45 minute wait, but once the rain had died down, and the electrical problems solved, TP and the band came back out, uncovered their Hammond organ, and played another nearly hour-long set, including "It's Good to be King," "Free Falling," "Learning to Fly," "American Girl," and "You Wreck Me." I reeeeeeaaaallly wanted them to play "The Waiting," and I don't know what was the hardest part, the waiting, or the realizing that I wasn't going to hear that familiar "Ter-chung...dow nee nee now nee nee dow, now" intro, or Mike Campbell's transcendent guitar solo. Oh, well.

The band I was really looking forward to seeing was "The New Pornographers," who together with singer Neko Case have almost singlehandedly restored my faith in American popular music. I crossed my fingers that Neko would grace the festival with her presence, and she did, making jokes about how it was too cold for her, and what did we mean by making her perform in these freezing conditions. I wanted to yell, "Shoulda been here last year when it was 10 below, babe." Ha! Anyway, her voice sounded clear as a bell, and just as beautiful as it does coming out of my headphones. I was grinning and jumping up and down the whole time, singing along. I think I almost cried when they played "Blown Speakers." I'm including the whole setlist below, for archival purposes.

So here are the rest of the bands I caught over the weekend, in chronological order.

KT TunstallThe New Pornographers (my new favorite band, so here's their set list)

Twin Cinema

Use It

The Laws Have Changed

Jackie Dressed in Cobras

The Bleeding Heart Show

Mass Romantic

Testament to Youth in Verse

Miss Teen Wordpower

These Are The Fables

It's Only Divine Right

The Fake Headlines

Star Bodies

From Blown Speakers

Letter From an Occupant

Sing Me Spanish Techno

The BoDeans--and they played the song "Fadeaway"!Part of MUSEPart of G. Love & Special SaucePart of Damien MarleyMost of WeenPatrice PikePart of Matisyahu (the Hasidic dub/dancehall/rapper dude)Ben HarperTom Petty & The Heartbreakers

About Me

I have been a film buff ever since I watched drive-in movies from the back seat of my parents' Jeep Wagoneer. Now that I have an HD home theatre, I can replicate the experience at home--minus the bug-splattered windshield and tinny window speaker. I post current movies in the sidebar below.
I stay abreast of current events and write my elected representatives about issues of concern to me.
Besides throwing my annual Oscar bash, I enjoy reading good books and magazines, cooking, traveling, fixing up my house, bargain shopping, and listening to music ranging from jazz to opera and pop.